Last Night in Barcelona

I had left my bag earlier at the train station, so I was free to roam on my last evening in town. I spent it walking around the town, enjoying the weather.

My adios dinner: Grilled baby octopus, octopus a la Gallega, russian salad, sardines in oil with olives, and chicken croquettes.

I Wanna Tapa That

Another night in Barcelona, another delicious dinner:

Clockwise from top olives: Olives, stuffed artichoke, anchovies in oil, russian salad, fresh shrimp, octopus in vinegar.
Papas Bomba- potato balls stuffed with spicy meat(yum yum yum) and anchovy-stuffed olives.
Little sausages, russian salad, and a Cocoalata.

McGruff crime watch: A german tourist running after a guy who had just stolen his cell phone. A couple of policemen running into Custo Barcelona with batons in hand. It's like being in "Cops". Or I guess really "Policias".

Tapas Tapas Everywhere

At the hostel, I asked the desk guy for a good dinner recommendation. After talking prices and cuisine (ummm..no chinese and no burgers por favor), he directed me down a relatively scary alley to the Placa Reial.

I was all kung-fu ready but after a slightly lenghty walk down the alley, holding my breath because of the smell, I made it to the square with limb and wallet intact.

The Placa was a surpise. After walking down Urine Alley, I expected something a little run-down, but it was really nice and lively. There were lots of people (a good mix of locals and tourists) hanging out, lining up for the cervecerias and restaurants. A few street performers were entertaining the crowds. But compared to the ones in La Rambla they were good. They actually moved.

There was also an old guy sitting on a lawn chair in the middle of the square. Once in a while he would get up and throw a dirty-looking stuffed cat at people and laugh. I'm not sure if he was insane or another performer. Like an avant-garde one.

I chose a normal looking cerveceria, enough away from the cat-toss area, and proceeded to have a nice, very large tapas dinner. I tell you, there's nothing like Spain for some kickass seafood. After a good two-hours at dinner, I headed back to the hostel, knowing that if I got robbed on the way, I at least had one great meal.

Placa Reial after exiting Crime Alley.

Eating my very nice dinner.
Pulpo a la Gallega: Suateed tender octopus on olive oil over potatoes.
Plate o' fried tiny fish.
Monkfish and prawn a la Catalana, in a crab sauce.

Creme Brulee with Bourbon sauce.